From Fire to Friendship
by jumbojet777
Summary: They say that trauma can both split apart and unite. The selfless actions of one man to save a Typhlosion trapped in a burning building may unite them more than either ever expected. (Warning: will contain some citrus later on)
1. A Selfless Act

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the pokemon and many of the places discribed in the story. They are the sole property of Nintendo. All original characters, however, are mine. Please do not use them without my permission. Any relation of the characters either in name or in action are purely coincidental. Now kick back, relax and enjoy.

**Chapter 1: A Selfless Act**

Wind through the roads. Another normal night in Goldenrod City. The flickers of light dance through the eyes of its denizens as they mindlessly shuffle down the well-worn streets. People shout, cars rush by, and the movement of hundreds of bodies, all going their separate ways and all oblivious to each other, fills my view. I always found a bit of comfort in the quiet chaos of a Friday night downtown. It seemed like a form of privacy in plain view, a box where I could see everyone, but they couldn't look at me. In a way, it was like the high skyscrapers that loomed above me even now. Like their reflective glass windows that only rewarded one side with privacy.

I sighed, silently chuckling at the hidden poet within who seemed to spring up at these random times. Tossing my dirty blond hair back and surveying the intersection in front of me, it all seemed pretty normal. Same town, same people, and the same path to my usual Friday night haunt. Relaxing after a hard weeks work at Sylph Co. with a couple of cold beers and good friends at Mickey Finn's Pub and Brewery was just the medicine the doctor prescribed.  
The bar was only a few blocks away and I could already see some of my more affluent friends pull up in their cars. I guess having parents that spoil you pays off in one way, even if it makes you an ass. Though they can be dicks sometimes, generally they were all good people at heart, and that's what mattered the most.

It was hard for a guy like me to find friends. I was usually the quiet person who hid in the corner of rooms. It was like that in kindergarten, grade school, high school, college, and even now. I tended to lock myself up as to not reveal too much of myself to everyone else, so anyone who could crack my introverted egg usually was someone to keep close.

The light in front of me turned red and the river of people bunched up as the walkway became a no pass zone. I slipped through the crowd, hoping to save a few seconds waiting for people to start moving again. Upon arriving towards the front of the mass on the street curb, my ears were treated to the shrill screech of a fire truck, several cop cars, and an ambulance as they raced past the intersection.

"Where's the fire?" I softly joked to myself, chuckling. Only then did i pick up a slight whiff of smoke in the air.

The smile instantly vanished from my face. _Oh no..._ My apartment was down the way those emergency response vehicles were traveling. Before the crossway ended in the direction of the fire, I sprinted across the street and slipped through people as I followed the sirens.

Dodging a man with a bushel of apples, vaulting over alleyway fences and slipping between buildings, I managed to keep up with the sirens as they neared closer and closer to my apartment block. I climbed one last fence and ended up on the end of my street.

Looking down, I could clearly see that an apartment block _was_ on fire, but I couldn't tell which one it was. I followed the flow of people, trickling in to see what all the commotion was about.

Upon getting closer, I saw that the apartment block on fire, thankfully, was not mine. I let out a breath of air I didn't even realize I was holding in. However, the revelation didn't stunt my curiosity. I swiftly reached into my back pocket and pulled out a little black earpiece. Tapered at one end and with a silicone hook to stay on your ear, this little device was a prototype pokémon translator from my research and development department at Sylph Co.

_I guess being the assistant manager finally pays off. Maybe I can figure out a little more._ I thought as I put the little piece on my right ear. Pressing a button, the area around me immediately became less of a rabble and more constructed. From my neighbor's barking poochyena to the gardevoir next to me, a chorus of voices erupted from the bodies around me.

"Is everyone ok? Like, did everyone make it out alright?"

"I think so, the fire fighters are cordoning of the area though, so there's not much we can do."

"What caused the fire?"

"I don't know, one second I was asleep, then I heard an explosion and saw fire shooting through the hallway"

"Maybe it was a pokémon, or maybe it was terrorists."

"Maybe it was Team Rocket!"

"Nah, that's stupid."

I silently chuckled as I heard the stories and claims get wilder and wilder as they passed between pokémon and human alike. I pushed the issue aside as my mind drifted back to the original pursuit of my Friday night. My friends would probably be worrying about me, so I can't keep them waiting.

"OH MY GOD, THERE'S SOMEONE STILL IN THERE!" I heard a woman shriek from behind me. I turned around to see her in horror next to her equally spooked alakazam.

"How do you know?" An older gentleman inquired.

"My alakazam did a psychic sweep of the building; he discovered a body on the 3rd floor!"

"Well someone has to do something" A young teen piped up.

I turned around, startled at the revelation. _If I were trapped in that building, I would want everything done to save me._

"Are you sure that there is someone in there?" I asked the woman.

"Positive, old Psych here never makes a mistake on matters of psychic ability."

"I'll go tell them." Immediately parting the crowd, I made my way to the fire chief.

"Sir, you have to go back in there." I told him.

"Excuse me? Do you see the condition of that housing complex son? If we so much as breathe on any of the structures, the whole damn thing will collapse."

"You don't understand sir, there's still someone in there! You have to go and get them." I pleaded with the charred chief.

"No, _you_ don't understand son. I would _love_ to send my men gallivanting off into some suicide mission to save one life, and I would _love_ to explain to their families why they died. 'Some guy said there was someone inside, so we rushed into a collapsing building.' Yeah, that'd go over well. Now run along and go play blocks, _son_, while the big boys clean up this mess."

I couldn't believe my ears. Not only was this man not going to help the poor person upstairs, but he was willing to let him or her die just because he was afraid that the building would collapse.

I took one look at the chief who had turned away from me to talk on his walkie-talkie and spotted the rest of the emergency crew packing up their gear and preparing to collapse the building to put out the fire. I knew then what I had to do. No one else was coming for this person, so I guess it had to be me.

Taking two steps and vaulting over the barricade, I dashed into the house. The yelling of several firemen and spectators couldn't deter me now as I crashed through the front door and into the burning house.

As I hit the ground, the wall beams above the now shattered door crashed down where an opening once stood. Taking one look back to assure I was well and truly trapped, I pressed on through the glowing hellscape that awaited me. I pulled my cotton jacket off and wrapped it around my mouth as a makeshift gas mask to keep out the smoke and pressed on through the fiery abode. The charred remains of furniture and belongings were no match for my trusty work boots, but the flaming chunks of house posed a great threat for burns. On my way through the first level, searching for stairs, I had a piece of flaming drywall, curtains, or random belongings burn me on their way to the ground.

Finally, I found the stairs up to the second level. Thankfully they were at the back of the complex and made of cinder blocks and steel. As I climbed the relatively safe steps up to the third level, I wondered what awaited me. I sincerely hoped it wasn't a charred body. It would be a great waste for me to have risked myself for a burnt husk.

My thinking came to a sharp end as a crack sounded above my head. One of the I-beams supporting the stairs had failed and a large piece of metal came crashing down, narrowly missing my head, but cutting a deep gash in my left arm and leg as it fell. I bit back the tears and pain, ripping off the sleeve of my jacket to wrap my shredded limbs in. The world began to spin as a combination of blood-loss, shock, and pain set in. I shook it off, convincing my body to keep going, as passing out here would mean certain death.

I carried on, kicking down the burnt husks of doors on my way to where I hoped this person was. Rounding a corner, I saw a mound at the end of a hallway. It certainly didn't look like a pile of ash or embers, so I rushed forward to see if it was the person I was looking for. Upon getting closer, I realized that it wasn't a person, but a pokémon.

This pokémon, a typhlosion by the looks of it, had escaped fairly unscathed due to its fire-proof fur and location slightly away from the bulk of the flames. I tapped its shoulder, trying to wake it up, but it didn't move. Fearing the worst, I put my fingers on its neck. A weak _thum-bump_ feebly made it to my fingers. _I don't have much medical training, but nothing should have a pulse this weak _I reasoned. Using a nearby beam and a brick to make a makeshift lever to compensate for my torn up limbs, I rolled the typhlosion over to see what might be wrong. As I looked over its body, I couldn't find out anything more than this it was actually a her.

Befuddled, I got down on my knees and attempted to wake her up again, but she didn't even stir. Realizing that the only way we could get out was by carrying her, I pulled her arm over my shoulder and rolled her stomach on to my back. Lightly gripping her leg with my mangled left arm, I stood up and began to carry her back towards the staircase.

I made it down the stairs to the second floor, and began on the first when another creek shot through the staircase. Before I had time to think, a second beam had failed, and another brick was heading for me, the only difference being where it would hit. Smashing me on the head, stars exploded in my vision. I dropped the typhlosion and hit the ground like a sack of potatoes. Before blacking out the only sound was a slight groaning. I knew not where it came from.


	2. Breakout!

**Chapter 2: Breakout!**

The mood of the crowd had gone from shocked to incredibly tense as groans and creaks flooded from the burning building. The firefighters had dropped their tools and immediately conversed on what their next course of action would be. A few proposed using a ladder to get into the building through a second story window, but that was quickly shot down as the building's condition continued to deteriorate. The fire chief was the first to explain that there was nothing they could do and, while some contended that idea, they all slowly realized that any attempts at help would only put more people in danger.

A much more audible groan and then a snap resounded throughout the block as an unknown part of the apartment structure gave in to the inferno. All eyes were on the orange ball of fire and smoke as they held their breaths, hoping and praying the lone hero would come out unscathed.

"Sir, we need to move these people back. This building could give way at any point." a firefighter explained to the fire chief.

"Move them back, and get the ambulance ready. I don't know if this kid can get out, but if he can, and he has whoever is in there, I'd like to not have a dying body on my hands."

"Yes sir."

The firefighter spread the word to his colleagues and they began to move the crowd backwards from the building. Just as they got the people to a safe distance, another, much louder, snap echoed forth from the building and the left side began to sag downwards. Several women screamed and a few other people ran from the site as half the building collapsed.

_Ugh... where am I? What's with all this smoke? and... who is this?_

Thoughts flew rapidly through my brain as I came to. _Ok, looks like I'm still in the same building. I think this is the staircase, but... why do I feel so warm, how'd I get on the stairs, and what's that sound?_ I quickly realized what that crackling whoosh was, having become accustomed to it all my life: fire. _So that solves the warmth problem, I guess something caught this building on fire... I sure hope it wasn't me._

I slowly got up, still stiff from my unknown amount of comatose state. Looking around, I was on the staircase, surrounded by debris and next to me was... a human? I got down on all fours to check him out. He had gashes up and down his left side and was clearly unconscious. _Maybe he's why I'm on these stairs. But why is he unconscious?_ I sat there befuddled as to the current situation.

My pondering was quickly cut off as the whole building shook and cracked. _Oh man, this building is coming down!_ I pushed aside the human's significance and scooped him up as I limped down the stairs. It was hard to descend the stairs due to his weight and the poor condition of myself, but I made it down without an issue.

I got to the bottom of the staircase and pushed on through the hallway of the apartment block. Large pieces of the support had fallen in the way so I had to either put down the human to move them, or I simply blasted them out of the way with a flamethrower. _Guess I'm fighting fire with fire_ I silently joked to myself, _I just hope I can get out of here before the fire fights back._

The few remaining spectators and the fire crew held their breaths as the seconds ticked by. Minutes passed, and still no sign of the mysterious hero. Many began to lose hope and the people trickled away. Even the fire crew began to expect that the inevitable had happened and prepared to blast away the fire with hoses, even if it'd collapse the building. The hoses attached and pressure had built up, the men took their places to destroy the fire when a knock on the wood in front of the collapsed door resounded across the now quiet block. The fire crew dropped their supplies and waited tentatively.

Another knock sounded on the compromised timber, followed by an even louder knock. Suddenly, the timbers exploded outward, followed by a dark blue furry ball. The building, now devoid of its last support, collapsed in on itself, snuffing out all but the smallest of flames. However, no fireman was concerned with the building in front of them anymore as the mystery hero and a typhlosion lie in front of them, both completely unconscious.

"Medics! Get these two to the hospital right away!" the fire chief yelled to the ambulance paramedics. They quickly brought out two stretchers and lifted the crumpled, damaged bodies on to them. In two swift movements, the stretchers were in the back of the ambulance and on their way to the hospital.

The ambulance pulled into Our Lady of Sinnoh hospital and quickly towards the emergency drop off. A nurse and a doctor rushed out to receive them.

"What's the situation here?" The doctor asked.

"We've got a young man here with several severe lacerations down his left arm and leg. Along with that, he has extreme signs of blunt force trauma to the head as well as several first and second degree burns along his neck and back." one of the paramedics explained

"What about the pokemon? What's its condition?" the nurse asked.

The other paramedic explained, "Well she's a different story. Her fire-retardant fur saved her from any burns, but she does have some signs of blunt trauma to the back, though it's not as severe as with the man. She also has a torn right bicep and several broken fingers. There is one other thing though."

"Oh? What else?"

"Well, on the way here, she... she was murmuring about it not being her fault or something. When we tried to comfort her, she flailed around until we removed our hands. Though while she was whipping about, we saw that she has several long scars and some cuts along her body."

"Do you think she got them in the fire?" the nurse questioned.

"Not all of them, most were scabbed over although some were fresh." the paramedic explained.

"Hmm... well we'll keep an eye on that too." the nurse assured as more hospital staff rushed out to push the two fire victims in.

My eyes slowly opened, painful lights bombarded my pupils as they fought to adjust to the brightness above me. All around me, was awash with white, clean cloth and chrome. I could almost see a pair of pearly gates in front of me. _I... I must be dead, _I thought, only seeing bright light and remembering my failed rescue attempt.

As the harshness of the light faded, I realized that the bright lights of the heavens were just fluorescent tubes. Similarly the white cloth was my bedspreads and those gates were nothing but the decorative steel bars at the end of my bed. Looking around, I saw that I was in a hospital. _Ok, I survived and I'm in a hospital. But how'd I get here?_ My questions only got bigger when I looked over and saw the typhlosion I tried to save asleep in a bed next to mine.

I tried to get up and get a better look around, but immediately felt a cracking sensation arc through my back like a lightning bolt. Gasping in pain, I threw my body back into the comfort of my bed and waited for the prickling, hot sensation to recede. After what seemed like hours, the pain went away and I attempted to sit up again. The pain, once again, raced through my back and caused me to grit my teeth in pain, but it wasn't as bad as the first time, and I fought through the agony to stay up.

I tried to swing my left leg around to get up, but found that, not only was it covered in layers of bandages, but it was secure in a sling. The same had been done to my left arm and it only took me one attempt to figure out how painful it would be to actually get them out of their prisons, much less try to walk around.

With my new height advantage, I surveyed the room I was in. About the size of an average room, it certainly wasn't all that fancy. It looked like the 90s had thrown up all over the decor. Everything from the floral wallpaper to the beige faded telephone to the tiny tube TV explained that the hospital board certainly wasn't putting money into decorating their rooms. Thankfully this room had a window and, by the looks of the sun flooding in from outside, it was either morning or evening. One quick look at the clock on the wall confirmed that it was the latter.

Bored of the lame room, I turned my attention to myself. Apart from the bandages on my arm and leg, I could feel more bandages wrapping around my shoulders and upper back, and saw the IV needle deep within my right arm. Reaching up with my hands to check the back of my head, I could tell that I had a gauze pad wrapped on the back of my head.

Looking over at my room-mate, I could clearly see she had it slightly better. Similarly situated in a typical hospital bed, she had a cast on her right arm and hand and an IV in her left arm and only a few small bandages in certain spots.

I tried to focus back to the fire, but I could only remember getting floored by that falling brick and my vision fading out. After that, only vague memories of sirens seemed to pop up. I turned my head to the sleeping typhlosion, wondering how we both got out alive. _Maybe the fire men charged in to save me after I ran in... no, that doesn't make sense, the fire chief wouldn't do that. _I shook my head, contemplating. _I could have woken her up when I dropped her. Maybe... I'll just ask her when she wakes up._ I resolved.

Laying back down, I fell into a deep sleep.

My eyes shot open as I sprang up from the bed I was in. All I remembered was blasting through that door with a mega punch before blacking out. It appears I had gotten out relatively unscathed. My attention was then drawn to the lump of plaster weighing down my right arm. _Maybe not as unscathed as I thought_. I looked around at the room I was in. Outside, several humans rushed around, some followed by pokemon. By the looks of their clothing, and the many chansey and blissey that followed them, I assumed this was a hospital or pokemon center of some sort. Looking out the window, it was completely dark and a quick look at the human timepiece said it was nearly eleven at night.

_I wonder if that human is alright?_ My question was answered as I gazed further over to see his form lying motionless on the bed next to me, chest steadily rising and falling. Relieved, I began to wonder, _I still don't know how I got on those stairs, but maybe that human knows. He certainly would have been close enough to see me get there._

I sat, contemplating until it hit me. _Duh! He must have tried to save me! That's why he was unconscious on those steps with so much debris around. He must have been knocked out by something while trying to get me out._

Looking over at my now-realized hero, I felt a sort of attachment to this unknown savior. No one had ever done something so sacrificial, so selfless, and so _caring_ to me in my life.

_ I have to know the truth, but it won't do any good asking a sleeping body. I guess I'll have to change that._

I woke up to a pressure on my stomach, opening my eyes, i saw the typhlosion I had saved, sitting on my stomach and staring at me.

"Hello, glad to see you're doing so well" I managed to get out despite the hundred-somewhat pound weight on my belly. She looked frustrated for second, like she was trying to figure something out. After a second or two, she looked up.

"Typh typhlo" she said, giving me a thumbs up with her paw. I gasped and then looked around for my earpiece. After a few seconds of searching, I found it at my bedside, among my cellphone, wallet, and everything else that was in my pockets.

Clipping it on my ear, I powered it up. Thankfully it hadn't been damaged in the fire. I heard a tone, followed by the gentile whirl of its operation. "What did you say girl?"

"I said, thanks for helping me ou... oh who am I kidding, it's no use reiterating this to you, it'd be like trying to talk to a daffodil." She said. Her voice had a definite feminine twang with a hint of sass in it. Yet, there was something else in it. I couldn't put my finger on what exactly it was.

I tapped my ear, chuckling "Trust me, I'm no daffodil."

Her eyes widened. "You can understand me? I've heard of this happening, but only in psychic types or pokemon that have been with their trainers for years! Are you a..."

I cut her off by putting my finger on her lips, "no, trust me, I'm no psychic. It's this little device in my ear. It picks up pokechat and translates it into good old fashion english."

"That's so cool" she said softly. "Well since you can understand me, I just want to say how thankful I am for what you did."

"But I failed!" I blurted out, not checking my volume. "I got knocked out cold by a falling brick and someone else saved us. I'm sorry, but I'm not your savior."

"Oh?" She said, putting on a mock serious face "Well I guess you're not the knight in shining armor that I made you out to be. Unless you're actions actually saved both of us."

"Both of us?" I said skeptically.

"Yeah, both of us. See, I woke up when you dropped me. Kind of a rude awakening, but one I'm thankful for anyway. I tossed you over my shoulder and carried you out."

"You were the one who got us both out?" I said surprised.

"Yep, so you owe me big time for that." She said, laughing.

My tone softened at the newfound knowledge of what this typhlosion had done for me. "Well, I know it doesn't mean much now, but... thank you for not leaving me behind." Her face softened as well and she leaned in for a hug. I blushed slightly as I embraced her warm, furry body. She leaned in and whispered in my ear.

"I would never leave anyone behind who would risk themself for me." She broke away the hug and leaned back, looking into my eyes with her bright ruby pools. "By the way, what is my knight's name? I can't just keep calling you knight forever."

"Oh, um... I'm Connor." I explained, "pleased to meet you..." I paused, holding out my hand.

"Oh, I'm Amber." she said grabbing my hand, "the pleasure is all mine."

"That's a lovely name." I said, smiling. "Well Amber, as you can see, it's quite late and I'm pooped from all that heroic business. We'll talk more tomorrow, but for now, a hero's got to get his rest" I said, chuckling.

She laughed back and agreed, getting off my now deflated stomach and walking over to her bed. I turned the lights off and closed my eyes. _Now there's a pokemon I can get used to. _I thought, smiling inwardly at the new friend I had made before drifting off into a deep sleep.

I woke up a few hours later to a form slipping underneath my covers. The coarse fur against my arm confirmed the identity of my midnight visitor. I didn't know why she had slipped in, but her warmth was welcomed in my frigidly cold bed.

I started to drift back off to sleep, already warmer than only a few seconds ago. _Yep, I could definitely get used to this._


	3. A Twisted Mess of Flames

**Chapter 3: A Twisted Mess of Flames**

The full diagnosis of Amber and I had us locked up in the hospital for next few weeks as both of us had several issues that needed observation often. When the Nurse Joy came around the next day to see me, she asked if Amber was my pokemon. I politely said no and when I was further inquired about her owner, I said I didn't know who her owner was. Then she asked me about the events that happened in the fire so that she could better treat us. After recounting everything from the two failed beams to finding Amber, the nurse looked less than satisfied. "Is something wrong?" I asked her.

"No, no, no. Well, actually, did you notice the scars on Amber's back?"

"Scars? Not really," I replied.

"Hmm, well if you can, try to coax out a background for those. We may need to know for... erm... some treatment purposes," the nurse unconvincingly stammered out.

"Uhm, ok" I agreed, gazing over to Amber's sleeping form and noting a few light scars poking through the blue fur. The nurse thanked me for my participation and then left our room.

Days passed by, and Amber continued to slip into my bed at night. At some point between one and two, I would awake to her coarse fur rubbing against my arms. Yet, every morning I would find her either already up or laying down in her bed. I never really asked her why she slipped in at night and just assumed it was a little post-trauma insomnia.

Six days after we were admitted, we were playing a little game of Jenga on the table in between our beds. I figured that enough time had passed to start talking about the fire and those scars the Nurse Joy had pointed out. "So I pull out this stick and... hah! Your move now Amber. Bet you can't get any more out."

Her face contorted in concentration, she began to edge a brick out of the stack. The block had almost come loose when the tower teetered and fell into a heap of wood. "Hey, not fair, you have those thin, human fingers. All I have are these thick, blunt claws," she teasingly said.

Picking up the heap of blocks, I responded, "well, you win some, you lose some. Speaking of collapsing buildings, I had a few questions about the fire."

She flinched slightly at the sound of the word fire, but quickly covered it up in a smile. "Ok, what questions do you have?"

"Well, I was wondering if you knew what caused the fire?" I asked her.

She once again flinched, this time much more noticeably. She placed a claw on her chin, scratching it and replied "Well, I heard that it was an oil fire on the second floor or something."

"Hmm..." I replied, discontent with her answer. "Do you have a master by chance?"

"No... well, I mean, I used to, but he let me go a year or two ago." she responded

"Ah..." I said. "Well, how'd you end up passed out in the hallway?"

"Oh, I... uhm... I had actually just been battling a Luxray in the alley behind the block. It took a lot out of me so I went inside and kind of passed out in the hallway." She replied, reaching a paw up to scratch the back of her neck.

I could tell that she was lying though. One of the other perks of being an assistant manager was that I always did the interviews for possible new employees. There's only so many times you can hear people spout over exaggerations and flat lies before you start to pick up on the body language and little fluctuations in their voice. The only thing I wondered was why did she lie? There must have been more to this story, but I decided to leave it for another day.

"So I saw a few of those scars on your back and arms. Pretty wicked battle wounds eh?" I said, trying to start a discussion to quench my curiosity with those scars.

"Oh, yeah, I got in some pretty bad fights with other pokemon."

"Ah, well, try not to get in any future tussles. Don't want to maim that pretty face," I replied, smiling.

She grabbed her bottom eyelids and pulled them down, simultaneously sticking out her tongue. "You mean this pretty face?" she said. I laughed at her silly face and threw a pillow lightheartedly at her.

"Oh yeah, I just _love_ that sexy face." I joked back at her as we both laughed. Looking over at the clock, I saw that our game had lasted a lot longer than I thought as it was nearly eleven P.M. "We should get some shuteye. Tomorrow's another big day of sitting on our asses doing nothing," I said falling back into the comfort of a down pillow I had sent up to me.

"Yeah, let's get to bed," Amber agreed.

_1:37 P.M., right on time as usual, _I thought as I felt the, now familiar, form of Amber slip in between my arms. I started to close my eyes after a few minutes, but stopped as I heard moaning from beside me. Opening them up a crack, I saw Amber's mouth moving as she let out a constant stream of nearly silent moans. She rolled over, and then rolled over again. The moaning got louder, and I could begin to make out some words.

"I … but ... don't … hurt … why … " she murmured, continuing to fidget all over. I thought about calming her or waking her up, but decided against it as I didn't want her to lose her perception of me not knowing she slipped in each night.

The murmuring and tossing continued and began to get louder and more violent. She moved her arm up and almost hit me straight in the nose but thankfully stopped within only a few inches. "Don't … like … don't … be … slave … can't … me." I couldn't piece together what she was moaning about, but from the sound of the word slave, it might have been a nightmare. I continued to just lie there listening to her moaning, trying to hear more of the words in between.

Finally, she got loud enough to the point where I could fully hear her sentences. "Don't hit me again. I don't want to be with you. All you do is abuse me. Leave me alone!" I was puzzled by her response and contemplated waking her when she said, even louder, "Get away from me! You can't make me battle any more! I... I'll fight you if you get any closer. I don't care if you're my trainer, I'll do it!"

The last line hit me hard. _She might be talking about her last trainer. That would explain the lies earlier. However, whether this is a bad dream or a bad memory, I can't let her experience it._ I started to move my hand towards her shoulder to wake her up when she suddenly sprung up from beside me. Swatting me with her plaster laden arm on the way up, I was thrown off the bed and into the wall right by the window. She was standing atop my bed, hands on her head, whipping around dangerously. With a face filled with pain, she kept half-murmuring, half yelling no. With increasing fervor and intensity she shook around faster and faster. I sat there in disbelief, paralyzed by fear and unable to do anything.

She crumpled in on herself a bit before resounding a defiant "NO". At that last no, her back burners activated and blasted a plume of burning fire. She opened her maw, bathing the room in a torrent of fire, but thankfully missing me. The fire eventually stopped and she crumpled down on to the singed bed.

As I slowly recovered from the shocking display, I got up off the ground. Looking over at Amber's form, I could see the intermittent spasms of emotion still flowing through her. I could hear a gentle sobbing coming from her as I walked over. I placed my hand on her shoulder and she immediately looked up at me. Tears spilling from her eyes, she just stared at me for a few seconds. Before I could say anything, she pulled me into a deep embrace. We stayed that way for nearly a minute me slowly patting her back to settle her down.

I pulled her away from me slowly. "That fire wasn't caused by some burning oil, was it." I said calmly. Her soft whimpers were all I needed as confirmation. "I think its time to talk Amber. And I want the truth this time." I said, situating us at the side of my bed.

She began, "I... I caused it. But you have to know that it was a complete accident. See, my master... my owner... was an intense pokemon trainer. He always had me training to become better. If I didn't become better, he'd beat me or make me train against much more talented pokemon." She explained. Amber paused for a while, seemingly composing her thoughts before starting again. "Recently I had evolved and he was so happy with it that he decided to challenge Whitney's Gym. We made it through her first few pokemon and got to her infamous Miltank. I had taken a few hits, but was mostly fine. But when the miltank let loose its rollout, it knocked me out in one hit. When I woke up, I was in my owner's apartment... one of the apartments that got burned down later. He scolded me and hit me for not winning. I didn't lift a finger to him in fear of how he'd retaliate. Finally, he hit me in the cheek and floored me. I heard him walk into the kitchen and when I saw him return, he had a knife. He suddenly came at me with a murderous look in his eyes and said I needed to learn how to be tougher. I backed away from him and tried to simply deflect the knife, but he kept cutting me ever so slightly. Finally I couldn't take it anymore and... and... and... I..." She seemed to pause for a second, trembling and quivering before continuing, "I just... popped. I shot the strongest blast burn of my life into his chest and ran out of the room. The move sapped so much of my strength that I passed out down the hall. I guess that blast burn also lit the apartment block on fire as well..." With the end of her story, she broke into tears again, burying her face into the charred remains of my pillow.

I gently stroked her head, softly saying, "Hey, hey, hey... It's not your fault. You were only defending yourself."

She looked up at me, her eyes glistening with tears. "Yeah? I just mean, I couldn't take his abuse anymore and, even though that blast burn could have killed me as well, I just didn't care anymore." She said, looking down between her legs. "No one had ever been nice to me, my life was a living hell. I honestly wished I was dead."

I sat quietly, thinking for a second before responding. "Well I for one am glad you aren't. You have so much energy and happiness within you Amber. It would be a shame for such a great pokemon to be gone from this world." I said, giving her a one-armed shoulder hug.

She looked at my eyes and I looked back at hers for a few seconds before she lent forward and gently kissed me on the lips. After the shock, I lent into it a little more and shut my eyes.

She pulled back and looked at me with much drier eyes and a smile on her face. "Thank you Connor. No one has ever been so nice to me and I doubt anyone will ever even come close. You saved me when I was dying of an external fire and now you've saved me from death by internal fire as well. There's no one I would rather be sharing this moment with than you." She said, looking straight into my eyes with her now bright ruby pools.

I leaned forward and planted an even deeper kiss on her lips before retracting. "There's no one _I _would rather be with either Amber." I said, leaning in for another kiss. This time, we met half way in a passionate kiss. As we allowed each other access into our mouths, our long, lithe muscles explored the flavors of the other. We remained locked in our amorous act for a few minutes, slowly laying down on the blackened remains of my bed.

When we finally detached, Amber laid on top of me, much akin to when I woke up with her on me a few days ago. However, gone was the sassy, playful look in her eyes, replaced with a sultry, happy look. "I've been thinking about something Connor, something that is very life changing."

"What is it?" I asked looking up into her now happy face.

"Well, I never really got to know anyone outside of the battle ring due to my old master's addiction to battling. Because of that, I never got the chance to find myself a mate."

"Uh huh," I responded, already expecting what would come next.

"So, I told myself that if I ever did stop battling, I would find a nice male to settle down with," she continued. "And... well... I'd like that male to be you Connor."

I closed my eyes, and thought about it for a second. To be honest, I had never really been good with the women. School was just an awful potpourri of awkward first, and only, dates and it didn't get any better with the decrease in free time that came as a part of growing up. Yet, here in front of me was someone who I could tell genuinely cared for me and wanted to be with me. I had only known her for a week and yet I would trust her with my life.

"Amber, I've never met someone like you. You're so sincere and kind and I want you to know that not all humans are evil like your old trainer. I would love to be your mate."

"Really?!" she replied, bubbling with excitement.

"Really," I said, smiling.

"Oh boy!" she exclaimed, kissing me.

"So," she said, dropping into a low, sultry tone, "My knight in shining armor deserves a little reward for his services to the princess."

"O... oh?" I said, stuttering in anticipation of what was to come.

"Yes, and I think I know just how to thank him," she said, lowering her head towards my waist. She lifted back the hospital smock and slipped down the boxers revealing my already hardening tool. She gazed up and down for a few seconds before lowering her head tantalizingly slow. She began at the base of my shaft, drawing her long tongue slowly up to the tip before slipping my meat into her mouth. She started with just the head and slowly took the rest of my, now throbbing, manhood into her blissfully warm orifice. My head exploded with pleasure as she pistoned her head over my crotch, the fires of her mouth hot enough to pleasure my tool, but not hot enough to burn it. She sped up as I got closer and closer to climaxing, increasing the friction and driving my brain straight into a star-studded nirvana of pleasure. Finally the gates broke loose as I unleashed stream after stream of my seed into her waiting gullet.

After two gulps, she deposited my depleted, but not yet flaccid shaft back on to my belly and crawled her way up. Her coarse fur dragging against my member stiffened it right back up as she got face to face with me. "Did I taste good?" I said, finally warming up to the mood.

"Good is an understatement" she replied pulling me into a deep kiss. My own flavor was still somewhat mixed in with her mouth, but I didn't care as I closed my eyes and leant into the passionate display. She leant back, saying, "Now we're ready for it". She shakily placed the head of my rehardened rod at the entrance to her love tunnel.

Noticing her slight quivering, I intersected "Are you sure you want to do this? Once you commit, there's no going back." She took one good look at the pairing of our organs, then back at me. She smiled, stopped quivering and dropped her body on to my waiting shaft, impaling herself. I felt my tip break through the hymen as Amber winced in pain. Before I could ask her if she wanted to stop, she lifted herself up and slammed back down. Eventually, the wince receded from her face and I could tell the pain had passed. She continued to rise and fall as her velvety walls squeezed and coaxed every drop of pleasure from my cock. I began to moan as I made small thrusts in time with hers. I could feel the tension starting to build within my two orbs and the same could be felt in her nether regions. Determined to make her peak first, I increased my thrusts as I penetrated deeper within her folds. In response, she increased her pace to a blinding speed. We both were now emitting loud moans of bliss not caring if the lone night nurse heard our lovemaking. "Oh... oh yeah... I'm about to cum" she said in between thrusts. I didn't respond, only redoubling my efforts to be second. Finally, I felt her folds contract one last time as a torrent of her juices washed over my tool shooting me into ecstasy as well. We both seized up as our fluids met in the boiling cauldron of her womb.

We both came down from our high as my now flaccid member slipped out of her folds. I grabbed a sheet from the bedside table and spread it over us. Amber cuddled up close to me as we shared in a final passionate kiss.

"I love you Connor"

"I love you too Amber"


End file.
